And here I thought it wasn't possible, thanks for the write-up. When exactly did you start raising wages? In retrospective I think what might have done me in was fair pay
"Yes, you did. And I was as polite as possible in my reply... But then you doubled down on the condescension in your second reply, so now the gloves are off."
Lol, what is this. Keep them on, this reads like the start of the Navy Seals copypasta.
IMO the early game is quite challenging in a sense because it requires you to take a specific action to get through that is entirely optional in most other management / tycoon games: Taking a loan. I've had my problems with it because it's not intuitive but once you know it's not all that tough anymore.
It was quite fun and very rewarding (for me at least) to find out what works and what doesn't though. What can I do better next game, that sort of stuff, so I'm not really sure what to think about an easier early game. It's actually refreshing to see a management game that doesn't make you auto-succeed over time. Perhaps what is needed isn't "easier" but "more options"? I could see an alternative working where certain events or oppurtunities replace the need to take a loan but come with other trade-offs down the line. ("Remember when we sponsored you back then? Yeah, your famous idol belongs to us now" ... or something like that)
Start out with two regular offices, your own office and a break room. Hire five idols and two sales people with deal skill. Research photoshoot -> set the salespeople to auto business proposal and make bucks -> get third office for production-focused employee and let them research when they aren't doing anything. At some point, start an internet show with all member cast for fame and that promotion requirement. Whenever you can, do promotion to steadily build your fanbase. Advertisement deals are good too bút watch the stamina.
Once you got decent fame, get a huge loan of 8.000.000 - 10.000.000 Yen from the landowner and pay off over six months.
Use the money to build a dance room and a recording studio and hire production focused people there. Start producing singles and release them each month whenever the button is green. Digital release is very good for at least the first seven or so singles because there's no production cost. You will lose money but the loan tides you over and eventually you make more and more profit until you are financially comfortable. Try to level your promo and performance for short-term money and lots of fans (more fans = more singles sales). I think the 720 fans promotion level is easily achievable and makes a large difference.
Rarely at the point when I chose the formation for a single (right before) I'm locked into the attached screen. It might have happened at other points too but not sure. There's also a delay in this screen before auditions but that one isn't permanent. The only thing I can do here is alt + F4
I made it and put myself into a positive spiral by taking out a 10.000.000 Yen loan from that landowner. The weekly loan payback was tough (~400.000) but it bought enough time to release monthly singles and become steadily more profitable. Just when I was going into the red solid it was all paid back and it seems like the toughest part is over from there.
Thanks, knew about the Singles thing though. Was just hoping if I'd rush them out the concert would somehow save me and shower me with money or something lol
How many Sales Managers do you recommend? A big problem I have is that 2 of them somehow don't get enough business proposals for five idols but their salaries become a huge money drain.
Seriously, it's highly addictive and there is so much good about it. Have been playing for the last three days or so trying and retrying to get past one or another certain stage but always end up being overwhelmed by the growing expenses.
The most difficult part for me is somehow transitioning from the relatively profitable photoshoots in the beginning to renting the second floor for the dance room / recording studio and staying profitable while trying to release five singles. Mostly it's a losing battle trying to break even: It's even but everyone constantly loses stamina, it's not even and I take a loan to avoid game over and expand to make profit to repay the loan but the loan adds to the problem, it's profitable but then I expand and everything is messed up, I rush out five singles and take a loan for a concert but the concert isn't profitable and then I'm f'ed. Marketing people don't get enough photoshoots? I'm f'ed. Someone get's hurt and is out 90 days? I'm f'ed.
Things I tried: Digital releases, lots of promos, trying to counter monthly expenses with ad contracts (which ends up being a problem because stamina), just building five offices and two breakrooms in the beginning even before releasing singles for massive photoshooting and ads, which at some point went south also because of staff and idol salary ...
Point being: It's a great game, it's massively engaging, I already modded some dialog and it was easy, I love the human element and the event system, but somehow it's also extremely, extremely difficult.
Question: Is it possible to mod the random conversation topics that appear when chatting with idols ("x stubbed her toe this morning")? What about the weird quirk thingies ("has a poster of Leif Ericson")? I love them but I feel like there aren't enough right now and would like to add some
